Tomorrow’s sprint race will be surprisingly the first time a classic sprint has ever been run in the Tour de Ski. The forecast is calling for snow and temperatures hovering around -0C, it’ll surely be a wax technicians nightmare. I’m expect some athletes in the post-race interviews will have some words about how their skis were; a). too slippy, b). too sticky/iced up, or c). no glide on the downhills. I guess it’ll all depend on whether the snow actually flies or not. I don’t expect anyone attempting to double pole the course as there is an “A-Climb” in the course profile. Odds on favorites are Kowalczyk (2.10) and Northug (2.00) which I think is interesting considering the likes of Jönsson and Newell are both on the start sheet for the men’s sprint. It’ll be a very exciting race nonetheless with some big time bonuses on the line including 60 seconds for first place. Predictions:
Women
1. Petra Majdic
2. Justyna Kowalczyk
3. Celine Brun-Lie
Men
1. Emil Jönsson
2. Petter Northug
3. Andrew Newell
Til Tomorrow.
